Does fluting affect barrel accuracy?

[arizona mike]

My next rifle will have fluting done as the first step in the process, THEN cut rifling. The best of both worlds, bar none!

 

[Bart B]

My next rifle will have fluting done as the first step in the process, THEN cut rifling. The best of both worlds, bar none!

So you'll have the barrel blank fluted before it's deep-hole gun drilled, then reamed, smoothed, rifled then lapped?

Sounds good to me.

 

[arizona mike]

Yes, that is the correct order.

 

[Bart B]

Even if it were determined that fluting caused a loss of accuracy at long ranges, the question of how much accuracy is really affected. I.e., what difference does it really make, and is it really important if a fluted barrel is less accurate by, say, 1/4" at 1,000 yards than an un-fluted barrel. Does this piddling loss of accuracy supersede the advantages of less weight having to be carried by the shooter, plus the advantage of faster barrel cooling for those shooters who take many shots over a short period of time?

If a good barrel, fluted or not, is fit to a properly prepped receiver, it won't change point of impact as it heats up; even firing one shot every 20 seconds.

And the improved cooling a fluted barrel has over a solid one of the same weight per inch is not very much anyway.

Most wild shots seen from well built and fit barrels that are very hot are caused by the round resting in the chamber too long; it's hotter powder shoots bullets out faster and they strike higher. In my experience after 30 seconds in a hot barrel, 30 caliber magnums put the next shot about 1/2 MOA high at 1000.

 

[Goofycat]

Good point, Bart. I never thought of that particular possible cause. Thanks for the input; I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Swiftkill]

To my best understanding of the reason for for fluting, other than the aesthetics, is, that it is two fold. It stiffens the barrel, which in turn, should enhance accuracy, and secondly, it adds surface area, which aids in cooling, both of which to me, seem to have an affect on accuracy. From a pure mechanical standpoint, I would say yes, it does add to the accuracy . It seems to me, that the fluted barrels that I have shot, seem to be easier to " get to shoot" versus non fluted. ( ALL else being equal).

I have not seen anyone discuss that, if the flutes are not precisely spaced around the diameter to the infinite degree .0000000001 of an inch or more (impossible), as the barrel heats up from shooting there could be more or less material between flutes and this can cause the barrel to warp one way or the other. Maybe you'll get away with shooting in the .200's to .300's for a 3 shot or maybe a shot shot group, but try shooting in the sub 10's for 5 groups of 5 shots. Show me ONE Benchrest shooter using a fluted barrel. You may be lucky enough to get a repeatable fluted barrel but to what extent? What are your expectations? I want to eeek out every last possibility of repeatability. I love the way flutes look, but would not put them on anything that was going to get hot like a hot varmint rig in a class like a 22/250 or hotter. .223 probably doesn't matter in a sendero. Can't shoot that far anyway 5 or 600 yards. If you are shooting 500 yards with a 22/250, that .5 inch group will be pretty marginal for shooting squirrels or prairie dogs that are 3 inches wide. You may get lucky in a tunnel but now introduce Mirage an a 3mph breeze. How about 6mph breeze? You are going to want a .300 inch group gun or better and you are going to want it to shoot that way for hours, maybe taking 1 shot or more per minute. And what about the 85 to 95 degree heat and with the sun baking your barrel? I want to eliminate all the variables possible and that starts with flutes. Just my not so humble opinion. Use the $160 on ammo. Or a calvin elite trigger! That will do more for repeatability (accuracy) than flutes.

 

[highdrum]

Holy thread reserection bat man!

 

[7stw]

Wow, just realized it myself, this thread originated 2012.